He is looking for ignition points and to learn why homes like this one were gutted by fire.

He said a timber fence along the perimeter "burnt straight up between the two houses" and swept up Richard Hurst's home in its path.

"The vulnerable bits in the house are the windows - which are vulnerable to radiant heat - or the timber eaves, doors and window frames," Mr Leonard said.

Authorities don't yet know how the fire at Winmalee started, but signs of how it spread are everywhere.

One of the primary causes was "house-to-house ignition".

"Where you get rows of houses in close proximity, one house burning causes its neighbour's house to burn," Mr Leonard said.

Many homes on the street also have overhanging trees which quickly caught alight as the fire moved through.

"It's not the tree itself that causes the problem, but all the leaf debris that's deposited on the house over many years," he said.

CSIRO aiming to improving planning and regulation

Mr Leonard is coordinating a bushfire survey for the Rural Fire Service at Winmalee.

The aim is to improve planning and regulation in bushfire-prone areas.

As well as forensically examining destroyed properties, Mr Leonard and his colleagues are speaking to residents who managed to save their homes.

Others have told him the speed of the fire took them by surprise.

"We're hearing many stories of people evacuating late or during the fire event," he said.

Despite the warnings, some residents were not prepared for this bushfire - a fairly typical situation, according to Mr Leonard.

"There's always a broad demographic of people who are prepared, have a well-established plan and are in a position to implement it.

"You always get a mix."

He adds that with the some design changes, Mr Hurst could rebuild.

"With a really good landscaping detail, attention to what trees and ground mulch he puts around his house and a good house design, he could be in a fairly confident spot for a future bushfire," Mr Leonard said.

Mr Hurst has no intention of leaving the community, where he has spent the past 38 years.

"I'll go and see a builder this afternoon," he said, "and get the ball rolling".